You might, at first glance, think it an unlikely combination – Kathleen Hanna, feminist hero of the riot grrrl movement, and Miley Cyrus, purveyor of jaw-dropping stunts to huge audiences. Nevertheless, Hanna has suggested to Cyrus she has an idea for “an album only you are daring enough to make”.

Hanna’s offer came in a tweet, which was a response to Cyrus having posted photos of Hanna’s old band Bikini Kill. One showed Hanna with the word “slut” written on her tummy and was captioned “coolest ever”.

While some might think it odd that Hanna would want to work with Cyrus, her stance has long been based on the insistence that women should be able to make music however they want. In an interview with Tiny Mix Tapes last year, when asked about Miley Cyrus defining herself as a feminist, Hanna said: “Well, I’m glad the word ‘feminist’ is being talked about and that influential pop stars are bringing up this conversation. If she says she’s a feminist, then who I am to stop her? I’m not the feminist police. I don’t get to determine that. I’m happy that young women are embracing that term, for whatever reason it means to them. Maybe for her it’s about freedom of sexuality and freedom of expression. For other people, it’s about ending oppression against everyone, not just women, but you’re starting from a woman’s perspective because that’s what you’re interested in.”

Kathleen Hanna (@kathleenhanna)

Hey @MileyCyrus so sweet you posted pics of me...have an idea for an album that only you are daring enough to make .

She has had kind words for other young pop stars, too. She told The Daily Beast last year: “I’m totally into Taylor Swift. I think she has super-clever lyrics, and I love that she writes her own music. Some of the themes she writes about are stuff I wish was there for me when I was in high school, and I’m so happy she really cares about her female fans. She’s not catering to a male audience and is writing music for other girls. I don’t care if she calls herself a feminist or not. There is something that she’s doing that feels feminist to me in that she really seems to have a lot of control over what her career is doing.”